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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24515938">Pathcode: Fire</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/masonjar88/pseuds/masonjar88'>masonjar88</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>EXO (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Burns, Forest Fires, Gen, MAMA Era Powers (EXO), Main characters are Kyungsoo and Chanyeol, Pathcode (EXO), Pre-relationship kyungsoo/chanyeol, Suho is an angel, background sehun/lay, not shippy but some is implied</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:49:02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,532</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24515938</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/masonjar88/pseuds/masonjar88</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Kyungsoo sat on the floor in his apartment, listening to news radio. There were more fires in Arizona. They’d been springing up in different areas for the last month. As he waited for coverage on the fires, a name got his attention.</p>
<p>“... Chanyeol Park is still missing after disappearing last month from his school trip with Northern Arizona University. The group was studying the forests when a fire started in the area and Park never returned to the campsite. Park’s family are residents of Fountain…”</p>
<p>Kyungsoo got to his feet and half ran over to where his laptop sat on a small desk. Chanyeol Park. He knew that name. Chanyeol Park had been rescued from the heart of the first fire near Colorado Springs. It might be a coincidence but last time there had been a coincidence like this, they’d found Jongdae. </p>
<p>To: Suho<br/>I’m driving down to Arizona. I might have found something. </p>
<p>***<br/>A Pathcode AU</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Park Chanyeol, Oh Sehun/Zhang Yi Xing | Lay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pathcode: Fire</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kyungsoo liked Colorado, mostly for the mountains. He’d been living there for ten months now and he still felt a sense of awe at their massiveness. He enjoyed driving the winding roads, even in the winter when the snow was piled up and it made it difficult to navigate the passes. </p>
<p>He currently lived in Gunnison, a town in a valley on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. It was a college town, but most of the students had gone home for the summer so it was quiet. Before Gunnison he had been in Grand Junction, and before that, Manitou Springs. </p>
<p>He was looking for Fire. Technically, he was also looking for Flight and Telekinesis but Fire would be easier to find. When two massively destructive wildfires had hit the Colorado Springs area one year after another, Joonmyeon suggested Kyungsoo check it out. But nothing had ever come of the search, at least not so far. Fires weren’t uncommon in the States. Though Kyungsoo and Joonmyeon had agreed that Kyungsoo should stay in the country, just to have some eyes and ears there. </p>
<p>Sometimes, when Kyungsoo got lonely, Jongin would come out and visit him. He’d bring Minseok occasionally. Everyone else had their own posts, mostly in Europe because that’s where they’d last found evidence of Tao. Tao would be almost impossible to find as long as he wanted to stay lost, but Joonmyeon and Minseok worried about him, Joonmyeon especially. If Exodus got him... Kyungsoo didn’t really like thinking about that. </p>
<p>Kyungsoo sat on the floor in his apartment listening to news radio. There were more fires in Arizona. They’d been springing up in different areas for the last month. As he waited for coverage on the fires, a name got his attention.</p>
<p>“... Chanyeol Park is still missing after disappearing last month from his school trip with Northern Arizona University. The group was studying the forests when a fire started in the area and Park never returned to the campsite. Park’s family are residents of Fountain…”</p>
<p>Kyungsoo got to his feet and half ran over to where his laptop sat on a small desk. Chanyeol Park. He knew that name. Chanyeol Park had been rescued from the heart of the first fire near Colorado Springs. It might be a coincidence but last time there had been a coincidence like this, they’d found Jongdae. </p>
<p>
  <b>To: Suho</b><br/>
<em>I’m driving down to Arizona. I might have found something. </em>
</p><hr/>
<p>Usually nothing came out of following a lead, but something about this one had Kyungsoo digging deeper than he ever had before. He’d gone straight to Flagstaff, the home of Chanyeol’s University. Kyungsoo had talked to his friends, his professors, and everyone he could find who had gone on that research trip and he hadn’t gotten any further than other investigators had. Chanyeol was a mediocre student in anything but his science courses, where he seemed to put all of his energy. </p>
<p>Eventually, Kyungsoo got in touch with the Flagstaff Fire Department. He gathered as much information as he could about the fires in the area, including a few small fires in town that had been extinguished before they had done any real damage. Kyungsoo couldn’t help but wonder if Chanyeol had something to do with any of them. That was of course making a huge assumption that Chanyeol was indeed Fire. </p>
<p>Kyungsoo sat on the bed in his motel room staring at his laptop. Chanyeol’s Facebook page was pulled up on the screen. He’d read everything he could on the page several times over in the past week though nothing new had been posted on it. It wasn’t productive but Kyungsoo kept returning to it. From what he could tell, Chanyeol was high energy and free-spirited. Most of his posts were photos of events he’d gone to with his friends and memes. Kyungsoo caught himself smiling at the photos more than once, to his own chagrin. Chanyeol was handsome. </p>
<p>His phone dinged and he got up to get it from the charger. It was a twitter notification from the fire department: a small fire had started near the lava caves. Without pausing, Kyungsoo grabbed his bag and ran out the door. </p><hr/>
<p>Kyungsoo had rented a Jeep, which proved to be a good decision. The Jeep moved easily over the uneven terrain as he made his way to the location of the fire. Taking the main road would surely get him stopped and even now there were helicopters circling the fire. There was still a chance he’d be discovered, but Kyungsoo managed to get close enough to the fire to continue on foot. </p>
<p>Running straight into a fire with no plan was exactly the kind of thing Joonmyeon would scold him for, but Kyungsoo was tired of doing nothing. Chanyeol was in there, he knew it. And he knew Chanyeol was the one they were looking for. He had zero concrete evidence but neither had Baekhyun when he’d known he’d find Sehun in the middle of a typhoon in India. </p>
<p>It was hot. Kyungsoo was prepared for the heat but he wasn’t prepared for the smoke. It made it difficult to breathe, or to see. He pulled his t-shirt up over his mouth as a filter and it helped a little, but there was no way he’d last in here very long. </p>
<p><em>Which way?</em> Kyungsoo thought. He spun in place looking for some sort of sign. Then, barely over the overwhelming roar of the fire, he heard someone yell. </p>
<p>Kyungsoo took off in the direction he thought the shout came from. His lungs burned but he pushed himself to go faster. A scorched, fallen tree appeared in his path, still smoldering. Kyungsoo braced his arm in front of him and pushed, breaking through the tree like it was a door. His arm burned. </p>
<p>Another cry pierced the air, closer this time. </p>
<p>As he grew closer to the sound, the smoke started to dissipate. The trees around him were charred black, but not burning. He broke into a clearing and stopped short. </p>
<p>There was a man curled up into a ball, lying in the dirt. His clothes were singed, barely hanging onto his body.  </p>
<p>He let out another wail and Kyungsoo ran forward, falling to his knees next to the man. </p>
<p>“Chanyeol!” He shouted, recognizing the man from the pictures. He’d been right. Kyungsoo reached out to shake Chanyeol’s shoulder, hoping to get his attention. </p>
<p>Pain shot through his hand and Kyungsoo yanked it back. Blisters bubbled up all over his palm and fingers. Chanyeol had burned him. He looked back at Chanyeol and was met with brown eyes, blown open with terror. </p>
<p>“Chanyeol Park?” Kyungsoo tried again, cradling his hand to his chest. </p>
<p>Chanyeol scuffled backwards. “I’m sorry! I didn’t…” He squeezed his eyes shut and fell back against the ground, bringing his hands to cover his face. </p>
<p>“What do you need?” Kyungsoo closed the distance again, careful not to touch. “Chanyeol, you need to calm down. What do you need?”</p>
<p>“So hot,” Chanyeol sobbed. His clothes began to sizzle again, but the skin underneath looked smooth, with no signs of burns to match what had been done to Kyungsoo’s hand. </p>
<p>“I know it’s hot. What do you need to cool down?” Chanyeol didn’t respond, his body shaking as he continued to bawl. </p>
<p>They needed to get out of there. If there was any other way, Kyungsoo wouldn’t have called Jongin. Traveling the kind of distance he needed with two people would be taxing on Jongin’s energy but there was no other choice. </p>
<p>Kyungsoo’s left hand fumbled to pull his phone from his back pocket. The metal casing was hot, but it was still functioning. He found his contact for Kai and called. </p>
<p>“-Soo?” Kyungsoo could barely hear Jongin’s voice. “You okay?”</p>
<p>“I—” Kyungsoo broke into a coughing fit. “I need you to grab one of the fire-proof gloves from the grill at Joonmyeon’s, then I need your help. I’ll send you my location. And bring a facemask.” </p>
<p>“I’ll be right there,” Jongin replied, and the phone went dead. Kyungsoo immediately sent his location to Jongin then turned back to Chanyeol. </p>
<p>“We’re going to get you out of here. It’s going to be okay,” Kyungsoo told him. He had no idea if Chanyeol actually heard him over his own cries and the roar of the fire a hundred meters away but it’s all Kyungsoo could do. </p>
<p>There was a whoosh and Kyungsoo looked over his shoulder to see Jongin standing behind him, staring with wide eyes. He was wearing a mask and had brought the glove Kyungsoo had mentioned. </p>
<p>“Jongin!” Kyungsoo shouted. “We need to get him out of here.” </p>
<p>Jongin jogged over to where Kyungsoo knelt next to Chanyeol. “You found Fire.” </p>
<p>Kyungsoo nodded. “His name is Chanyeol. I can’t calm him down. Don’t touch him without the glove.” </p>
<p>“Where are we going?” Jongin asked, slipping the glove on. “We have to cool him down.” </p>
<p>“Are Joonmyeon and Minseok still in France?” </p>
<p>Jongin nodded. “At the house, yeah.” </p>
<p>“Can you get us directly into the pool?” </p>
<p>“Yes,” Jongin confirmed. “Hold on.” He grabbed onto Chanyeol’s arm, who screamed at the contact.</p>
<p>Kyungsoo wrapped his arms around Jongin’s torso and shouted, “Go!”</p>
<p>Jongin’s teleporting didn’t hurt per se but for a few moments it always felt like Kyungsoo was being pulled apart and crushed at the same time, pressure almost unbearable in his ears.  </p>
<p>When he blinked his eyes open the smokey forest was gone. Jongin landed them in the exact center of the empty pool behind the house. </p>
<p>There was nothing to drown out Chanyeol’s sobs here and they became startlingly loud, slicing through the cool air around them. </p>
<p>Kyungsoo heard the porch door slam open. They’d gotten Joonmyeon’s attention. Jongin slouched back into Kyungsoo just as Joonmyeon came into view. </p>
<p>“What’s going on?” Joonmyeon shouted. His eyes were wide but his voice didn’t shake. </p>
<p>“His name is Chanyeol. He’s Fire. I can’t get him to calm down and he’s too hot to touch.” </p>
<p>Joonmyeon jumped down. “Get out. Get Minseok. He’ll have his headphones on. He’s upstairs.”</p>
<p>Jongin disappeared and Kyungsoo swore. Jongin was going to exhaust himself. </p>
<p>Kyungsoo stumbled over to the ladder, hauling himself up with one hand. By the time he got out, Minseok was running out the door. </p><hr/>
<p>It was hot. It was so so hot. </p>
<p>Chanyeol couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t feel hot. Did he even exist before the heat? Did he even exist now? Maybe not. A dream? A nightmare. Or worse.</p>
<p>There was fire all around him. It was his fault. It couldn’t be his fault because fire flying out of someone's hands was <em>impossible</em>. It was impossible so why was the image of it burned onto the back of his eyelids? He couldn't have caused the fire. And yet...</p>
<p>Between the fire and the pain and the screaming, he imagined this must be Hell.</p>
<p>Something touched him. A man with dark hair suddenly filled his vision. Chanyeol had burned him. He croaked out an apology and his throat ached. It was so hot. </p>
<p>A blast of pain seared through him. Someone had grabbed his arm, tight, and the next second, air was forced from his lungs. The roar disappeared but immediately the screaming returned, and everything sounded quieter and louder at the same time.</p>
<p>The air felt different. Less dense. Less like it was going to suffocate him. Colder. Chanyeol coughed, choking on it, then sobbed. He wanted to open his eyes but they had glued shut. Or maybe he just didn’t want to risk seeing the fire again. </p>
<p>Something moved around his body, surrounding him like water, but it burned like dry ice. Chanyeol felt like he was going to burst. He thrashed against it, trying to get away. He vaguely heard someone yelling his name. Come to think of it, he’d heard his name quite a bit. He clung to it. </p>
<p>Someone held his shoulders. The hands stayed put, steady. It was quieter now. Chanyeol heard himself crying.</p>
<p>Everything was sore, but he wasn’t burning anymore. He didn’t want to move, but luckily his body felt surprisingly light, like it was floating.</p>
<p>He must have died. That was the only possible thing that could have happened. He had been dying and now he was dead and the voice that was calling his name must belong to some sort of angel, stroking his hair. </p>
<p>“It’s okay, Chanyeol. It’s alright. You’re safe. The fire’s gone. Can you open your eyes for me?”</p>
<p>It took every last ounce of energy Chanyeol had to blink his eyes open, only to immediately close them against the light. “‘S too bright,” he mumbled. </p>
<p>The angel voice sighed, sounding relieved. “I know, I know,” it soothed. “But it would really help me if you’d look at me.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol took a deep breath and tried again. He squinted against the bright light, doing his best to look up at whoever was holding him. </p>
<p>It was a man. A handsome man wearing a soaked white t-shirt, slightly haloed by the sun behind him. Chanyeol could see his pecs through his shirt. “What…” </p>
<p>The man smiled. “My name is Joonmyeon. And this is Minseok.” Joonmyeon gestured to the side and Chanyeol realized there was another man holding him up as well. And he was floating on water. </p>
<p>“You alright?” The other man —Minseok— asked. </p>
<p>“What—” Chanyeol tried again and immediately began coughing again. He ducked his chin, letting the water flow into his mouth and swallowed. It tasted disgusting. “What happened?”</p>
<p>“Kyungsoo found you,” Joonmyeon replied. “You were burning up. We had to cool you down.” </p>
<p>Kyungsoo. Chanyeol’s eyes grew wide. The man from the forest. He whipped his head around, searching. He appeared to be in a shallow pool, and standing on the edge to his left was the man from before. The man who had touched him. He was clutching his hand to his chest. “Your hand— “ He coughed. “I’m sorry! I didn’t —”</p>
<p>“What happened to your hand, Kyungsoo?” Joonmyeon asked sharply. </p>
<p>“I’m fine,” Kyungsoo replied. He glared at Chanyeol. </p>
<p>“I didn’t mean to!” Chanyeol pleaded. </p>
<p>Minseok let Chanyeol’s midsection go and he swam over to the edge, leaving Chanyeol to scramble to stay afloat. He never did like water. Joonmyeon shifted so he was holding him bridal-style. Thank God. </p><hr/>
<p> “Did he burn you?” Minseok asked as he hoisted himself out of the pool. </p>
<p>“I’m fine!” Kyungsoo insisted, stepping away from Minseok. Damnit, Chanyeol.</p>
<p>Minseok squinted his eyes. “Then show me your hands.” </p>
<p>Kyungsoo looked from Minseok to Joonmyeon and Chanyeol and back again before hesitantly pulling his hand away from his chest. </p>
<p>It wasn’t a pretty sight. His palm was a blotchy red and white, peppered with blisters. His arm was an angry pink. “It doesn't even hurt,” Kyungsoo said, which was partially true. It didn’t hurt nearly as bad as it probably should.  </p>
<p>“That’s not good, Soo! That means the nerves are shot and the tissue is dying!” Minseok shouted, which was rare. “You need to see Lay right now.” </p>
<p>Shit. “No! Life-threatening injuries only you said! That’s what we agreed!” He wasn’t going to put Yixing’s safety in danger for a fucking burn. </p>
<p>“If you lose your hand and Yixing found out he could have helped he’d never forgive you!” </p>
<p>Out of all the arguments Minseok could have come up with, he’d managed to find the only one that could have worked first try, even letting Yixing’s real name slip. Kyungsoo let his head fall back and he yelled in frustration. He looked around to Jongin to find him sitting at the picnic table, watching them. “Let me at least wait until Jongin’s strength is back.” </p>
<p>Jongin shook his head and stood up shakily. “I can go now.” </p>
<p>“No!”</p>
<p>“Minseok said the skin is dying. Lay can’t heal what’s dead,” Jongin said. </p>
<p>“What about Chanyeol?” Kyungsoo asked. </p>
<p>“What about Chanyeol? He’s not burned.”</p>
<p>Joonmyeon raised his voice over the argument. “Go see Lay, Kyungsoo,” he said, his tone leaving no room for an argument. </p>
<p>Kyungsoo’s eyes shifted over to Chanyeol, who was still floating in Joonmyeon’s arms. His eyes were just as wide and scared as they were in the forest. “Fine,” Kyungsoo relented. “Just make sure Chanyeol is okay.” </p><hr/>
<p>They’d hidden Yixing as best they could, finding him a small flat in Yunnan and giving him a new name. </p>
<p>Originally Yixing had lived alone in Yunnan, but he hated the solitude and Sehun was driving everyone crazy with his constant worrying, so eventually Joonmyeon and Minseok let Sehun live with him. </p>
<p>Sehun was leaning against the counter in the kitchen when Kyungsoo and Jongin appeared. Jongin flopped down in a chair and Sehun immediately stowed his phone in his pocket. “Lay’s almost home. He was out to get some food.” </p>
<p>“You let him—” Kyungsoo started, but was cut off by Sehun almost immediately. </p>
<p>“Yes, I did. And you’re not going to tell Suho about it,” he said firmly. Kyungsoo raised his eyebrows, surprised at Sehun’s nerve. Sehun continued, “None of you have been here. I know that’s on purpose to protect him or whatever but Lay's been going stir crazy. He hates this flat.” </p>
<p>“Sehun— “</p>
<p>“Look, he only goes out to get food to bring back here and to the library two blocks down to read and write and stuff. I go with him a lot. And when he wants to go alone, I’m always here so I’m close.” As Sehun spoke, his voice grew less confident, like he knew the risk they were taking. </p>
<p>Yixing was the only member of their group besides Minseok who Exodus knew the identity of. It was a risk for Yixing to even step outside. </p>
<p>There was the sound of the front door being unlocked and Yixing burst through it, a bag full of hot food hanging off his elbow. “What happened?” He blurted, looking Kyungsoo up and down as he rushed towards him. Sehun took the food from him and shut the door he’d left open. </p>
<p>Kyungsoo held out his hand to Yixing. He tried to stretch his fingers out but the result was a painful pulling sensation and he hissed. “I found Fire,” Kyungsoo groaned. “His name is Chanyeol.” </p>
<p>Yixing held Kyungsoo’s hand in his and closed his eyes. His face screwed up in pain. “This isn’t good,” he whispered. “Hang on.” </p>
<p>“Ahhhh.” Kyungsoo’s knees almost buckled and he looked away. Yixing had healed him a few times in the past but the feeling wasn’t exactly something someone could get used to. For several seconds his whole hand and forearm felt hot and swollen, which was then replaced by a prickling feeling, like what happened after he’d slept on his arm and the feeling was returning. When Kyungsoo finally opened his eyes again, his hand had been healed. </p>
<p>Yixing’s hand curled around his. “Is Chanyeol okay?” he asked, eyes wide. </p>
<p>Kyungsoo nodded. “We think so. His clothes were burnt but he seemed to be alright. I think it’s kind of like Jongdae. He feels the heat of the fire but it doesn’t permanently hurt him.” </p>
<p>“You think he can control it so he doesn’t hurt himself?” Sehun asked. He held out a bowl of noodles to Jongin. </p>
<p>“I think so, with time. Jongdae did, right?” </p>
<p>The next second, Kyungsoo found himself enveloped in a hug from Yixing. “It’s good to see you, Kyungsoo,” he murmured into Kyungsoo’s shoulder. He lifted his chin a little. “It’s good to see you too, Jongin.” </p>
<p>Kyungsoo wasn’t going anywhere until Jongin got his strength back up, so he sat across from Yixing at a small table in their kitchen and asked him about how things have been going. Yixing admitted to Kyungsoo that he hated being isolated, confirming what Sehun had said earlier. It has been better since Sehun came to live with him, but he still felt lonely. He also admitted, smiling, that he’d struck up a friendship with the caretaker of the library he’d been going to.</p>
<p>All of it was a huge risk but Sehun was right, keeping Yixing miserable to keep him safe felt wrong. </p>
<p>A wave of exhaustion fell over Kyungsoo, and Yixing picked up on it immediately. </p>
<p>“You should take a nap, Kyungsoo.” </p>
<p>Kyungsoo shook his head. “We need to get back. In case Joonmyeon and Minseok need help with Chanyeol.” </p>
<p>Yixing smiled. “You’re worried. You like him.” It wasn’t a question but Kyungsoo still felt like he needed to explain himself. </p>
<p>“He’s so innocent. I’ve never seen someone look that scared. Yeah… I’m worried about him.” </p>
<p>“We can go now,” Jongin said, lifting his head up from the couch. “I’ll be fine as long as I can go to sleep immediately. Plus,” he added, “You need sleep too. And you’re not gonna until you see Chanyeol. So really it’s for the best.” </p>
<p>“But—” </p>
<p>“Go home, Soo,” Yixing told him. “It’s better for everyone. Including Chanyeol.”</p>
<p>Kyungsoo rubbed his eyes. They were right. Again. Fine. “Fine,” he said aloud, letting his hands fall to the table. He looked over to Jongin. “Let’s go home.” </p><hr/>
<p>It was dark when Chanyeol blinked his eyes open, and he sat up quickly. Immediately his head swam and he gripped his forehead in his hands, taking a few deep breaths as he let the pain subside. Moving slower this time, Chanyeol swiveled his head to look around the room.  </p>
<p>He couldn’t see much, but his surroundings were completely unfamiliar to him. Memories of the previous few days were spotty at best, but he did remember being saved. How he’d been saved... how they knew… that was still a mystery.</p>
<p>Slowly, Chanyeol got out of bed and wobbled over to the window. His entire body ached. His shirt was gone and he was wearing a pair of borrowed sleep pants.</p>
<p>It didn’t look like Arizona outside. The grass was too green and he wasn’t familiar with the trees. There wasn’t a spruce or an aspen in sight. </p>
<p>“You’re awake.”</p>
<p>Chanyeol started and spun around, causing his head to swim again. The man who had spoken raised his hands out in front of him, his eyes widening. “Woah, you’re okay. I’m Minseok, remember? You’re safe.”</p>
<p><em>Minseok. Right</em>, Chanyeol thought. Minseok had helped him up to this bedroom… yesterday? It was hard to be sure. “I’m Chanyeol,” Chanyeol croaked. His throat was dry. </p>
<p>Minseok smiled. “I know.” He pointed somewhere to the left of Chanyeol. “There’s some water on the desk.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol immediately grabbed the glass from the desk and gulped it down. It tasted stale, like it’d been sitting there for awhile, but it might as well have been the purest mountain spring water to ever exist. Unfortunately it wasn’t nearly enough. Chanyeol held the glass up and looked back at Minseok. “Umm, can I…?”</p>
<p>“Sure,” Minseok said. He motioned behind him. “How are you feeling? I can bring you some more water if you want me to get it for you. Or… do you want some help walking?”</p>
<p>Chanyeol shook his head to refuse and then immediately stumbled as he stepped forward. “God, fuck this,” he hissed, but allowed Minseok to step under his arm to lead him down the stairs. </p>
<p>Minseok was cold. He’d felt cold before too but Chanyeol had been too out of it to think anything past that. “You’re cold.” </p>
<p>Minseok chuckled. “Not the first time I’ve heard that.” </p>
<p>“Are you always this cold?” Chanyeol asked. They were halfway down the stairs now. These were officially his least favorite stairs. </p>
<p>“Not always. Sometimes I’m colder. But that doesn’t usually feel so great, you know?” He asked it like Chanyeol did know. But Chanyeol didn’t know anything about being cold. </p>
<p>“Anyway,” Minseok continued. “Kyungsoo and Jongin are sleeping but Joonmyeon is up. We’ve been taking turns keeping an eye on you.” </p>
<p>Right, Joonmyeon. The handsome angel man in the water. Chanyeol remembered him. </p>
<p>Two more stairs. One more. He got both feet on level ground and groaned. </p>
<p>“You’re awake,” a different voice said. Chanyeol looked up to meet Joonmyeon’s eyes. The man was dry now, which made his hair look lighter than it did before, even in the fairly dim lighting. His face didn’t look much different though. He looked worried. </p>
<p>“Can you get him some more water?” Minseok asked. He nudged Chanyeol forward past Joonmyeon towards a small table in the kitchen. </p>
<p>“Obviously,” Joonmyeon replied, a playful lilt in his voice. </p>
<p>Chanyeol fell heavily into one of the wooden chairs and rested his head in his arms on the table. The chair itself was a blessing because he didn’t think he had the energy to stand any longer. He almost felt hungover. His head hurt and his body was heavy and he couldn’t really remember how he got where he was. Where am I?</p>
<p>“Where are we?” he asked, lifting his head just as Joonmyeon set a massive glass of water on the table near his folded arms. </p>
<p>Joonmyeon didn’t answer immediately, instead sharing glances with Minseok. </p>
<p>“Safe,” Minseok said finally. “But far away.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol blinked, trying to figure out what exactly that meant. He downed the water. Hopefully that would help get his brain working right. </p>
<p>“Do you remember what happened?” Joonmyeon asked softly, taking the chair across from Chanyeol. </p>
<p>“I…” Chanyeol squeezed his eyes shut as he finally let what memory he had wash over him. The fire. Chanyeol had started a fire. There was no question about it this time. This one was his fault. He had meant to. Or he didn’t mean to?</p>
<p>He didn’t want to start the fire. He wanted to prove to himself that it was impossible. There was no way in Hell. </p>
<p>Chanyeol remembered seeing the flames flicker from his palm. He panicked and attempted to shake it away, but the flames grew larger, flying away from him into the layer of pine needles covering the ground. Stupid. Pine needles were stupidly flammable. The flames rose quickly. The smoke made it hard to breathe.</p>
<p>Something very cold landed on his shoulder and he jumped. Minseok was standing in front of him. His hand was like ice on Chanyeol’s shoulder. </p>
<p>“Hey, it’s okay Chanyeol. Just breathe. It’s not your fault.” </p>
<p>“It is though!” Chanyeol shouted. “The flames… I… They came from my hand!”</p>
<p>Minseok lifted his other hand between them, palm up. Chanyeol watched in astonishment as ice crystals began to swirl above it as the air between them cooled. After a few seconds, Minseok let his hand drop and looked directly into Chanyeol’s eyes. “We understand, Chanyeol. But it’s not your fault. You didn’t know.” His hand slid from Chanyeol’s shoulder and he turned his back, walking over to a coffee maker sitting on the counter. </p>
<p>Chanyeol looked back at Joonmyeon and struggled to find words. “I don’t… It’s not—” </p>
<p>“We’re like you, Chanyeol,” Joonmyeon said. His tone was kind. “We can do things other people can’t. We understand what you’re going through right now and we want to help.” </p>
<p>“No!” Chanyeol shouted, finally snapping out of his daze. “You don’t! People have died because of me! Lives were destroyed! Neighborhoods! People are dead!” </p>
<p>“Chanyeol—” </p>
<p>Joonmyeon was interrupted by a new voice from the entry to the kitchen. “You’re right. It is your fault.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol whipped his head around to see someone new in the doorway, and it only took a few seconds for him to recognize the man who had found him in the woods. He was smaller than Chanyeol remembered. His face was hard. “Something you did caused bad things to happen. So it’s your fault.”</p><hr/>
<p>Kyungsoo could hear voices filtering through the closed door of Joonmyeon’s room, where Kyungsoo had fallen asleep. Jongin was still asleep next to him. He could hear Minseok and Joonmyeon, and a lower voice he didn’t really recognize. </p>
<p><em>Chanyeol</em>. Kyungsoo sat up in the bed and looked around. It was light outside the window, which meant he had miraculously managed to sleep. </p>
<p>He flexed his hand experimentally. It felt tight, but it didn’t hurt. Yixing did an amazing job. He always did. </p>
<p>“It is though!” Kyungsoo lifted his head back to the door. Chanyeol. He needed to make sure Chanyeol was alright. Quickly, Kyungsoo slid out of the bed and out the door, closing it behind him.</p>
<p>As he neared the kitchen, he heard Joonmyeon talking softly before Chanyeol’s voice exploded again. </p>
<p>“You don’t understand! People have died because of me! Lives were destroyed! Neighborhoods! People are dead!” </p>
<p>Joonmyeon and Chanyeol sat at the small kitchen table. Joonmyeon held his hand out, trying to calm the man in front of him. “Chanyeol—”</p>
<p>Kyungsoo cut him off before he could finish. “You’re right. It is your fault.” Chanyeol turned around to look at him. His eyes were wide, shocked. Scared. </p>
<p>“Kyungsoo—” Joonmyeon hissed, but Kyungsoo stepped closer and kept going. </p>
<p>“Something you did caused bad things to happen. So it’s your fault. But you didn’t know. You had no idea what was happening or why. You had no control.” None of them had had any control in the beginning. Control took time.  “But none of that matters now. What matters is that I found you. What matters is that we can help you.” </p>
<p>Kyungsoo let his eyes wander around Chanyeol’s body. He was shirtless. The skin on his torso showed no signs of burns, as Kyungsoo had suspected. He was more muscular than Kyungsoo would have thought. When Kyungsoo finally met Chanyeol’s eyes again, he seemed a little calmer, almost suspicious. “How?” Chanyeol whispered. </p>
<p>“We can teach you how to control it,” Joonmyeon said. “It’s scary, I know, but there are nine of us now and—”</p>
<p>“Nine?” Chanyeol gasped. “There’s more?” His eyes darted around to each of them wildly. “Where are they? What can they do?” He stood up and looked at Kyungsoo and Joonmyeon. “Minseok is really cold. What can you do?”</p>
<p>“Hey—” Minseok protested, but Kyungsoo spoke over him. </p>
<p>“Joonmyeon controls water, and I’m strong.” </p>
<p>Joonmyeon shot him an annoyed glance. “Can I finish?”  Kyungsoo rolled his eyes, thumped him on the shoulder (a little harder than necessary just because he could), then padded over to the coffee maker. </p><hr/>
<p>Guiding Chanyeol back into his chair, Joonmyeon continued. “There are nine of us. Ten including you, possibly two more we haven’t found yet. We all have… powers, I guess you could say.”</p>
<p>“How?” Chanyeol asked. How could they have these powers? How did they know where he was? How did they know what he could do? He watched Joonmyeon make eye-contact with Minseok. </p>
<p>“We don’t… know,” Joonmyeon finally admitted. “We don’t know where these powers came from. We have some suspicions, but nothing concrete and… we think there are people out there who do.” </p>
<p>“Who?” </p>
<p>Minseok shakes his head. “We don’t know who they are exactly, but they found Lay a little while ago and… It wasn’t good. We almost lost him and Tao when we broke him out. Tao disappeared not long after that, and we don’t know where he is. But Lay told us that these… people… knew way more about what was going on than we ever did.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. Someone out there had answers. “Did they know about me? Is that how you found me?”</p>
<p>“No.” Kyungsoo answered firmly. Chanyeol opened his eyes to look at him. “We knew that there was someone out there that could control fire, and we knew we had to find them.”</p>
<p>“Kyungsoo volunteered to be lookout in America,” Joonmyeon said. </p>
<p>“I followed the fires in Colorado, and then you were reported missing in the fire in Arizona and I recognized your name from the forest fire. It was a hunch.” Kyungsoo took a sip of his coffee and Chanyeol’s attention was brought back to the man’s hands. Kyungsoo must have noticed because he held one up, palm out for Chanyeol to see. “Lay healed them last night. That’s where Jongin and I disappeared to.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol replayed what had happened last night and realised, “Jongin teleports.” </p>
<p>Joonmyeon smiled. “He does.”</p>
<p>“Wow.” Chanyeol looked out the window at the unfamiliar trees. “Where are we exactly?”</p>
<p>“South of France.”</p>
<p>“Wow,” Chanyeol said again. His eyes met Kyungsoo’s once more. He wasn’t sure why he was so drawn to the smaller man. Maybe it was because he seemed so solid. So sure. Maybe it was because he saved Chanyeol’s life. “And you can help me control it? The… the fire?”</p>
<p>Surprisingly, Kyungso’s face softened in a way Chanyeol hadn’t seen before. “I promise, we will do whatever we can to help you.” </p><hr/>
<p>Baekhyun wandered through the cathedral. He didn’t know anything about this one, but exploring historic sites was always interesting. </p>
<p>The streets around the cathedral were narrow and winding and easy to get lost in. He was pretty sure this was the way back to his Moped, but not completely sure. It didn’t really matter. He’d get back eventually. </p>
<p>Loud static filled his ears Baekhyun quickly removed one of his earbuds and looked around, adrenaline pulsing through his body. </p>
<p>A shape moved in the alley behind him and he immediately flicked the light above him off. Shit. He turned to run down the alley.</p>
<p>Footsteps started up in pursuit. Baekhyun flicked off every light he could sense around him, trying to become invisible. He sprinted through the narrow passageways, hoping to find an exit or at the very least lose his tail. </p>
<p>Baekhyun found a wider street and sprinted down it. This had to be the exit. </p>
<p>The lane was a dead-end, locked to the outside by tall gates. Baekhyun grabbed them and pushed, with one last ounce of hope, willing for them to open but they were locked. </p>
<p>He looked down at his feet and took a deep breath. His pursuers were slowing. They knew they’d cornered him. Not for the first time, Baekhyun wished his power was something more useful. He turned around and reached his power out, plunging the city around him into darkness. Hopefully that would be enough to get his friend’s attention. </p>
<p>Baekhyun was surrounded now. He could feel it. For a moment the air was still around him, and for a moment, Baekhyun wondered if he’d hidden himself well enough to be able to slip away. </p>
<p>“We can see you.” The man’s voice was low and threatening. Baekhyun felt a shiver up his spine. “Don’t you want to see us?”</p>
<p>Slowly, Baekhyun pulled tiny swirls of light into the air around him. There was around a dozen people around him, all with night-vision goggles and guns pointed directly at him. </p>
<p>“Do you know who we are?” The man asked again.</p>
<p>Baekhyun couldn’t tell which one was speaking, but he responded anyway, “Exodus.” </p><hr/>
<p>The two months that followed Kyungsoo and Jongin bringing him to Joonmyeon’s house were some of the most intense Chanyeol had ever lived through. He’d never experienced such a sudden uprooting of everything before. He was in France (<em>France</em>), he could control fire with his mind, and nothing would ever be the same again.</p>
<p>Since arriving he’d spent several hours a day training his ability, trying to get it under control. Minseok taught him breathing techniques to calm him down. Joonmeyon taught him how to focus his energy. Kyungsoo poked him with a stick. </p>
<p>Jongin was in and out so much that he Chanyeol still didn’t know him very well. He and Baekhyun had been put in charge of looking for Tao, a chronokinetic. </p>
<p>“Zitao stopped checking in with us about six months ago,” Minseok told him one night. “We’re not sure why. We don’t think Exodus got him, but we don’t know for sure.” </p>
<p>“How do you even find someone like that?” Chanyeol asked. “It sounds impossible. Especially if he doesn’t want to be found.”</p>
<p>Minseok sighed. “We’re doing a lot of digging through internet forums and news websites. You start to see patterns. It’s harder with Tao, because it's too strange for people to want to explain. I told Sehun to look through ‘Glitch in the Matrix’ blogs.” </p>
<p>There were twelve of them in total. Besides Kyungsoo, Joonmyeon, Jongin, Minseok, and Tao, there was Sehun, who could control air, Jongdae, who channeled lightning and electricity, Baekhyun, who could create light, and Lay, a healer.  There were also two others they hadn’t managed to find yet. Joonmyeon added that one would be a telekinetic and one would fly. </p>
<p>“How do you know that?” Chanyeol asked Joonmyeon. “How did you even know I was out there?”</p>
<p>Joonmyeon sighed. “I don’t know for sure but…’ He bit his lip, apparently deep in thought. “Lay said…” </p>
<p>“What?” Chanyeol pushed. He was surprised by the serious look Joonmyeon gave him in return.</p>
<p>“...Exodus knows.”</p>
<p>Chanyeol blinked. “You've mentioned them a few times. Who are they?” </p>
<p>“We don’t know who they are exactly,” Joonmyeon said. “But they know about us. More than we know. And about two years ago they managed to trap Lay for a while. And they… weren’t kind.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol jumped when Kyungsoo’s voice sounded from behind him. “They fucked him up pretty bad, you mean.” Kyungsoo handed him a cup of tea then took a seat beside him. “He called them 'Exodus', so that's what we call them. They knew about his power, and Lay overheard them talking about all of us. That’s how we knew to look for you.” </p>
<p>“After we got Lay out, we started looking for the rest.” Joonmyeon said. “We hadn’t found Jongdae or Sehun yet either. We could only hope that we could get to you before they did.”</p>
<p>“How do they know about... us? What we can do?”</p>
<p>Kyungsoo shook his head. "You're guess is as good as mine. But they have money and resources and they’ve almost caught up to us several times.” </p>
<p>“And right now,” Joonmyeon said, “our priority is finding the others before they do.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol already didn’t like to think about what would have happened if Kyungsoo hadn’t found him, but the idea of some faceless organization hunting him down made him even more grateful to have been found when he was. </p>
<p>Joonmyeon sat back. “Tao and I found each other first by accident,” he said, pensive. “He was a resident on my floor at university in Berlin. Weird stuff kept happening around him but I could never catch him at anything.” </p>
<p>“You went to university in Berlin?” Chanyeol asked, surprised. Though maybe he shouldn’t have been; Joonmyeon did have an air of class about him.</p>
<p>“For vocal performance, yeah.” Joonmyeon shrugged. </p>
<p>Chanyeol blinked, filing that information away to focus on the bigger picture.  “How did you find out he could... control time?” </p>
<p>Joonmyeon smiled. “He told me.”</p>
<p>“But only after he caught you magically drying your hair in your dorm room and was so shocked he dropped his control,” Kyungsoo added. </p>
<p>“Wait, what— ” Chanyeol started.</p>
<p>“The point is,” Joonmyeon started again before Chanyeol could dig into that more. “Neither of us were alone anymore.” </p>
<p>“So why did he leave?” Chanyeol asked. He couldn’t even imagine leaving the group now. </p>
<p>“I think he was afraid. So he left.” </p>
<p>“I don’t understand how that’s any safer.” </p>
<p>Minseok sighed. “Tao is one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful person on the planet. But also… if he loses control at the wrong moment, the consequences are even worse.”</p>
<p>Joonmyeon smiled sadly. “That scared him more than anything.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol remembered seeing the forest burn around him, his own consequences for losing control, and could understand why someone who could cause even more destruction than that would want to disappear. </p>
<p>“Tao was Joonmyeon’s favorite,” Kyungsoo said suddenly. Chanyeol looked over to see a smirk on the man’s face as Joonmyeon protested.</p>
<p>“What!? I— I don’t have favorites!”</p>
<p>Jongin suddenly appeared next to them. “I thought I was your favorite!” </p>
<p>“I don’t have favorites!” </p>
<p>Minseok laughed. “I always thought Sehun was his favorite.” </p>
<p>Joonmyeon rubbed his temples. “Why are you all like this?” </p>
<p>Chanyeol laughed, content to let the conversation fall away. He had a lot to think about. Exodus was a threat Kyungsoo had alluded to before but he hadn’t heard the bigger picture. He wanted to talk to Lay what had happened to him, but it felt personal. And Chanyeol hadn’t even met Lay yet. As his eyes traveled over everyone at the table, a weight settled heavily on his shoulders. This was real. The threat was real. And no matter what happened, Chanyeol realized he would do anything to protect his new family. </p><hr/>
<p>Chanyeol sat on the edge of the empty pool with his legs hanging down. Kyungsoo had insisted they practice longer than usual and he was exhausted. </p>
<p>He looked down at his phone. It wasn’t the one he had in America; that one had disappeared. Joonmyeon had given him a new one. Still, his parents hadn’t changed the home phone number since he was a kid, back when they had to memorize numbers. </p>
<p>Chanyeol sighed and put the phone down next to him and laid back against the concrete. What could he even say if he did call? ‘Hi Mom and Dad, I’m alive but I can’t come home because I have fire super powers and there’s people after me’. The thought was almost comical. Besides, he had to keep them safe. </p>
<p>A shadow fell across his face and Chanyeol looked up to see Kyungsoo haloed by sunlight. </p>
<p>“I can’t practice anymore. I’m burnt out. Literally.” </p>
<p>Incredibly, Kyungsoo cracked a small smile. “I’m not gonna make you do more. You did well today.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol closed his eyes again. “Thank god.”</p>
<p>“Baekhyun hasn’t checked in for two weeks now.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol sat up. “What?” </p>
<p>Kyungsoo wasn’t smiling anymore. “He’s been super loose about it recently, but he’s never been a full week late. Last time he checked in he said he was going to London. Jongin’s been looking for him there but Baekhyun’s always moved around a lot so who knows where he actually is.” </p>
<p>Scrabbling to his feet, Chanyeol asked, “is there anything we can do?” </p>
<p>“No,” Kyungsoo answered curtly. “We just have to be ready for anything.” </p>
<p>Suddenly the intensity of today’s training made more sense. “I don’t know if I am.” </p>
<p>“If you are what?’</p>
<p>Chanyeol swallowed. “Ready for anything.”  </p>
<p>Kyungsoo’s arm swung suddenly and Chanyeol side-stepped, bracing himself in case he was too slow. Even though Kyungsoo always pulled his punches, they still hurt. Miraculously, the flying fist missed Chanyeol’s shoulder, but he did lose his balance and fell to the ground heavily. He looked up at Kyungsoo, haloed by the sun once more. “What was that for?”</p>
<p>“You wouldn’t have dodged that a few weeks ago. You’ve gotten better,” Kyungsoo replied.</p>
<p>“So?” Chanyeol huffed.</p>
<p>Kyungsoo held out a hand. “I would say you’re more ready than you ever have been before now.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand and let himself be pulled to his feet. “I’m not sure it’s good enough.” </p>
<p>A tone sounded from Kyungsoo’s pocket and he pulled out his phone. His expression harded and he held the phone out to Chanyeol. “It might have to be. Look what Sehun found.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol took the phone and scanned the screen. It was a translated news article from Lyon dated a week prior. </p>
<p>
  <strong>Electric Company Baffled by Massive Power Outage</strong>
</p>
<p>One of the featured quotes read: <br/>
<em>We can’t explain it. Only the lights went out, nothing else.</em> </p>
<p>“Shit.” </p>
<p>Joonmyeon’s voice called out from the house. “Kyungsoo! Chanyeol!” </p>
<p>Chanyeol jogged after Kyungsoo back inside. Jongin, Joonmyeon, and Minseok were standing in the dining room staring at Minseok’s laptop screen. Chanyeol stepped forward and looked over Minseok’s shoulder.</p>
<p>The laptop screen featured surveillance footage. Chanyeol watched as a small figure with a dark leather jacket ran through a narrow alley as lights flickered off behind him. In the darkness, Chanyeol could make out several dark figures racing after him.</p>
<p>“I’m going to Lyon,” Joonmyeon stated after the video looped a few times. “Jongin can take two people easily. Minseok, you’re with me.” Minseok nodded and he headed for the stairwell. Joonmyeon turned to Kyungsoo and Chanyeol. “Call everyone. Tell them to be alert. Jongin, you’re going to move Lay and Sehun after you get me and Minseok to Lyon, then come back here and rest. It should still be safe. Kyungsoo, Chanyeol, you make sure of that.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol saw Kyungsoo’s fist curl up but he nodded. If Joonmyeon saw it, he didn’t acknowledge it. </p>
<p>“Good luck. Check in whenever you can.” </p>
<p>Minseok returned with two backpacks and handed one to Joonmyeon. </p>
<p>“You keep us in the loop too, Suho,” Kyungsoo said.</p>
<p>Joonmyeon nodded. “I’ll do my best.” </p>
<p>Chanyeol and Kyungsoo stood back as Joonmyeon and Minseok each took one of Jongin’s hands and in a puff, they were gone. </p><hr/>
<p>Baekhyun woke up in a white room. He attempted to sit up but his hands were cuffed to the hospital bed he was lying on. The light shining on him was blinding and he blinked, attempting to shut it off.  The IV they had him hooked up to was the same blue as the syringe they’d stabbed him with in the alley. The light remained stubbornly on.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I've had this in my drafts folder for years now and I finally got it to a point where I feel like I could post it. I'm not sure where to go with it next, so for now it ends here. </p>
<p>I hope you enjoyed it, even with the cliff-hanger ending.</p>
<p>Thanks to K and M for your help with this :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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